I own 5 pairs, and the ability the switch them around is really nice, better for your feet too and for the shoes. The newer models will all have the soles knitted to the upped body, which is really great for longevity. A trick is to look at the womens section and grab 1 size up, they have sales all the time, unless the men section.

the addition of stiching to the sole is amazing. My magna esc sole is staying waterproof and not peeling off like every other barefoot shoe before them

I bought the boot version of these for winter hiking and I gotta say I was pleasantly surprised. The leather construction combined with the wool sock type ankle is brilliant. I used a waterproofing spray and I've been hiking through ankle to knee deep snow while staying completely dry. The leather is breaking in nicely and the thermal insole really works. 30 F / -1 C in snow is very comfortable with the right socks. I did size up one size to accommodate for thicker socks and because I tend to find vivos narrow for me and while slightly long, I'm happy with the fit. The tread.. again pleasantly surprised. Definitely not as good as the Michelin escape sole, but not bad either. If the ESC sole is 10/10, I'd give the decon sole 8/10. All firm ground is amazing. Soft ground, mud, snow, etc is still very good if know how to traverse that terrain. I do wish they had the ESC sole because its unmatched in the outdoors, but I am also enjoying the versatility of being able to comfortably wear them walking my dog, to the gym (not working out, just through snowy parking lots), and into stores. It really is a "do everything" boot.

For wet and cold, a pair of 3mm neoprene wet suit socks work great. I’ve used them in all my barefoot shoes where I am essentially strapping a puncture resistant sole onto a waterproof sock. Only thing better are XERO Shoes Alpine rated to -30*F or -35 C.

Great review Alex definitely my next vivobarefoot purchase!

Nice detailed discussion. I do have a pair of Vivos. I wanted a barefoot-healthy boot for property/yard chores and hiking where there might be mud or snow. Bought the Forest ESC boots earlier this year (the lower top model was not a thing yet). So far loving them. Better-than-expected ground-shape feel while protecting from sharpness and even not lumpy-feeling on pavement. Two of my selling points were that they're leather, and the soles are stitched around the top.

Hi Alex thanks for the follow up video, I didn't find the channel you spoke off ( Clem over at "Good time hunting" ) regarding this shoes boots version.

Love these shoes, and they're my most expensive pair by a good margin, so I hope the tougher build quality ends up saving me money too. I'm planning to reserve these for actual trails and super cold winter weather, so I've only worn them on two ~12mi runs so far, consisting of half pavement and half trail. MUCH better on trails than my thin-soled Xero or Primus Lite III road shoes! I no longer live in fear of stepping on killer acorns or large sharp pieces of gravel, but roots are still a menace. Also, NO HEEL BLISTERS, which I was worried about from other reviews; it's either because I wore the shoes with thicker hiker socks, or because they happen to just fit correctly being SLIGHTLY looser than my PrimusLites of the same size. ... Have yet to test the traction in really wet weather, but I think I'll manage.

Thanks for a really useful review. How well do you think these would function for playing football on Astro and Grass/ turf? I’ve looked at the Primus Trail SG which would arguably be better, but I think the SG tread is a bit too specialist and I wouldn’t use them for much else other than the odd muddy run. I’ve also looked at the Trail FGs, but these lugs don’t look like they’d have enough grip on a football pitch compared to the Decon lugs. What do you think? How have the Decon lugs faired on wet grass and in mud? Thanks!

I love vivobarefoot Primus trail firm ground 2 knit. I bought them for 119 euros, I got two pairs. The best shoes I ever had. Light, roomy, quality material, just perfect. Highly recommend.

Thanks for so detailed and full review !! Guys, I’m really a little confused now. I’m choosing my first barefoot shoes now, did quite big research about it. Definitely going to order vivobarefood. Thinking about taking this model for sport and going outdoors and geocourt 3 for everyday use. usually I’m wearing 45 eu size. But when I’ve measured my feet and it looks like it’s 28,8 cm which is around 11,2 inches. On their website if I follow feet measure guideline it looks like I should be getting 46 (specially considering, that there should around 6mm additional free space. ) I know barefoot shoes will feel different, specially because they are wider. And that’s the moment I’m not sure if I should go for 46 or stay at my usual 45 size. Any thoughts/suggestions ? I would really appreciate advice! Thanks, peace and love to everyone 😀

Do they feel comfy for every day use? Like, a lot of walking

Thank you for the detailed review. How would these be for summer hiking? How durable are these? I love that they're stitched.

You definitely don’t need the boot version for longer hikes. Many people doing multi month thru hikes like the CDT or PCT in the Primus Trails.

I got some of these, and I think they are good, but not perfect. When it comes to the positives, they are really gorgeous looking, seem quite durable, and are really warm, yet breathable. They keep my feet warm in snow, and the lugs on the sole are quite grippy. When it comes to the negatives, there are unfortunately a few important ones, however I think it was more an issue in the beginning, before they got properly worn in. I find they are a little longer than expected, about half a size too large, while still not being all that wide. They don't cram my toes, but don't allow them to splay either despite my feet not being very wide, so for anyone with wide feet or wearing toe spacers, these will be a little narrow. They also rub a lot against my heel, and they took more than a month to wear in before I no longer got blisters from them. The sole is a little more rigid than I expected, but they still allow me to feel the ground quite well. Overall, these are quite good and have become my daily driver winter shoe. I really love wearing them, although I had a few significant gripes initially.

I've been using these at work on a berry farm here in Australia in summer, unfortunately I can't seem to get the right size. I'm usually a 45 so went with that and found them super long. Returned them and sized down to a 44 and now they are too short but still feeling loose AFTER putting in thicker insoles. I have a pair of Freet Pace barefoot shoes and they are much more comfortable.

Thanks for the update. I'm curious how much walking on concrete you do per day in them, i.e short walks or long walks daily or over the week, so I can put the lack of lug wear into perspective.

My go to shoes are the Primus Trail FG (All weather) , have you ever tried them? how would you compare them to the Decon?

My experience with Vivobarefoot's shoe sizes so far (feel free to skip the first paragraph) : Vivobarefoot's German online store had a pretty amazing sale in December '22 and early January '23. The store was changing owners or something like that (I guess it was being run by a local company and they then gave it back to Vivo UK) and they were trying to sell all of their old stock, so in the final weeks, we got 40 % off of everything plus an additional 10 % off of that amount. The only problem was getting the right shoes in the right sizes because they were going fast. I ended up buying a pair of green Geo Court Knits, black Primus Lite IIIs and the Tracker Decon FG2s that you're reviewing here. I've been wearing the Geo Court Knits for about 2 weeks now and so far they're absolutely amazing in terms of fit and feel. The other two pairs just arrived two days ago so I haven't had the chance to wear them all that much. Been walking around at home with them a bit and so far they seem very promising. Now the interesting part for people who are not sure about which sizes to get: I'm usually a size 44 or 44.5 (EU). Vivo's shoes seem to be a bit all over the place with their sizing. I do take out all the insoles, so that's a thing that should be considered when I write about how well they fit. The Geo Court Knits' product description said they do tend to be a bit larger than what their size says, so we should buy one size below our usual one. I chose to ignore that, bought size 44 and they ended up being way too large. Sent them back and got a size 43 - perfect. The other two pairs I bought when there were barely any perfect fits left on the site. However, their FAQ said that the only difference between the men's and women's models was a small change in overall width of the shoe. Also, their women's sizes max out at 43. Still wanting to give it a try, I bought the Primus Lite III and the Tracker Decon FG2 women's versions at a size 43. Both of these models were supposed to be true to size, as opposed to the Geo Court Knits. Before purchasing, I actually did measure out my foot and compared it with their official sizing chart according to which I should still have around 1 cm of wiggle room at a size 43. Very long story short: The Primus Lite III are a perfect fit. They feel weightless and super thin anyway, so even if they are a bit tighter than the Geo Court Knit, it's barely noticeable. The Tracker Decon FG2 felt very tight at first but then I realized that the thermal insole was still in the shoe. After taking it out, they were a snuck fit but I could definitely put them on and walk around the house without any problems, and that was with me wearing thick socks. I'm currently wearing them with thin socks and they fit like any other shoe. Sure, not quite as roomy as the Geo Court Knit, but considering they only cost me € 102.60 ($ 111,25 / £ 90,96) and are still way more comfortable than any non-barefoot shoe, I am 100 % keeping these. Thanks for your review, it did push me in the right direction!

Alex I just pull the trigger on the boots, and used your code, thanks once again.

Nice take on these!

To get a size reference I’m a true to size 8 in Jordan 1’s. 8.5 in most running,basketball and narrow fitting shoes. what size do you recommend for me In these?

How do these compare to the Primus Trail II All Weather? Looking for something for winter trail running. Thanks!

I have the same pair. You can actually take off the shoelaces, same feeling :)

Hi Alex, thanks for the review! I have a question, would they be too warm for summer hiking here in Spain? With merino wool I'm worried that my feet will get too sweaty.

Would these be summer hiking shoes? They seem to be geared for winter. I wish the primus trails had a stitched on sole.

Do you recommend them to be worn at the gym and urban paved environments? My logic being they're more rugged soles and would ease me into switching over barefoot shoes.

How would you compare the sizing when compared with primus lite 3 all weathers? Because the toebox on the tracker decons seems narrower than the primus lites, making me wonder if I should size up when getting decons.

I recieve them yesterday, returned because they very slippery on wet ground, its a big nono for Europe tracking

I have a pair of primus lite knit and love them, did you go with the same size for the tracker decons? I ask this because I've heard the primus knit runs a little long and wasn't sure if I should size up for the trackers. Thanks!

Hello, I actually just ordered the trail 2... And you sold me on these actually. Can you comment on the sizing compared the trail 2? And any other things you'd noticed? I'm buying it for martial arts (I train in outdoor park where there's mix of grass, dirt, tree roots etc, so my feiyue shoes wear down pretty quick and they're actually getting more uncomfortable due to small size of the toe box. I would love to hear your thoughts on how the Decon 2 vs trail 2. Cheers

When you walk in barefoot shoes are you heel striking o pushing off with your toes?

What’s the difference between the Decon and the trail Primus all weather 3 ?

Are they waterproof

I bought the boot version and returned them. I’m sure they’d break in a bit, but I think the boot version of the tracker decons are just too much for me and I prefer something more minimal without the ankle support. One problem I have is the lace portion between the eyelets and the upper part. Theres a portion that just cuts into my ankle in a really uncomfy way. I’ve been wearing the same pair of primus asanas for years as my daily shoe so I’m used to something much more flexible and, to be fair, VERY broken in. I’m thinking that I’ll get the primus trails as a replacement for the tracker decon. Does anyone have input on the difference between the primus trail vs primus trail knit? It seems like I’d like the knit better, like they’d be closer to the softer asana but with some lugs but its a 60$ price difference right now with the sale on the regular primus trails. The low tracker decon is also on sale right now in one color. I’m sooo wishing these were common enough to be able to try on in a store!

Hey I was curious about how you said these were water resistant, only thing I can find on the website is the boot version is water resistant but not the lows. In your testing, have they been pretty good around puddles or mud?

What’s the vivos for jogging on concrete when it’s sunny or wet weather on concrete? I’m not a trail jogger.

How would these do for in door basketball?

When does the human foot crunch up like that ? Shoes are to support and protect the foot ,but we need a design that allows the foot to be in it's natural state while adding support and protection

I’m surprised they didn’t go for more aggressive lugs considering it’s a hiking shoe

Have you tried Feiyue shoes?

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Those shoes are a peace of shit. They are good for nothing. They are not for winter, not waterproof. Not for summer, too hot. The sole is too thick, you don't feel the ground. And they are expencive. I returned them, the best decision I made.